


Hit The Ground Running

by MaliceManaged



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Blood and Violence, Chance Meetings, Damned Plot Bunnies, Difficult Decisions, F/M, Jötunn Loki, Loss of Parent(s), Mutant Powers, On the Run, Past Character Death, Protective Loki, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, helpful loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-12 21:16:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5681041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaliceManaged/pseuds/MaliceManaged
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a thought in his head refused to leave him be, Loki decides to look up a acquaintance he once made, and as a result gets tangled up in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse where the consequences of losing could end up shattering his world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to work on my other stories today. So, naturally, my muse decides this would be the perfect time to come up with yet another one!

    Loki had a secret.

 

    Well; he had hundreds of them, but one particular had his attention right now.

 

 

    In a little corner of Midgard there once lived a man with his young daughter. The mother of the child was nowhere to be found due to an accident that had not quite been accidental, but that was the least of the man’s worries. No, his mind was more concerned with keeping his daughter out of the clutches of the ones who had caused the not-accident.

See, the man’s late wife hadn’t been what you would call an average human; she had... abilities usually reserved for characters in works of fiction. The man himself had them to some degree, and his daughter was stronger than her mother had been. And so the man had gone away to a secluded corner of the world with his child in an effort to keep her safe until she could learn to do so herself.

 

    He did not succeed as well as he had hoped.

 

    When the girl was eight years old they were discovered, and the man had told her to run away and hide, staying behind and using what abilities he possessed to give her a head start. The girl had been understandably reluctant to leave her father but did as she was told, running off into the snow-covered woods that surrounded their home. It wasn’t long before she had gotten lost once she ran farther that what she was familiar with.

 

    And that’s where Loki came in.

He had been looking for a specific plant that grew on that region of the realm, when he heard the muffled crying of a child who was scared but trying to be quiet. He followed the sound and came across a little girl with long black hair and pale freckled skin curled up in the hollow space between the roots of a tree. Her head snapped up suddenly as he approached, her big grey eyes puffy and red from her tears, and she looked at him fearfully, her body tensing in preparation to run at the slightest provocation.

 

    “I mean you no harm, little one.” - Loki said softly, raising his hands in a non-threatening gesture. The girl relaxed slightly and he asked, “Why are you out here all alone? Are you lost?”

 

    The girl seemed to consider his question then burst into tears again. Loki looked around, unsure what exactly to do; children weren’t exactly his forte, after all. After some consideration he took a tentative step forward; when she didn’t run, he closed the rest of the distance between them and knelt down before her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she reacted by throwing herself onto him, startling him, and sobbing into his chest. Loki hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, rubbing soothing circles on her back like his mother used to do for him.

When she had stopped crying she told Loki what had happened - or at least the version of it her young mind understood - and his heart broke for her. He asked her if she was frightened and she told him she was. Reaching into his pocket, Loki brought out a ring of a deep green metal and handed it to her; it was two bands that crisscrossed themselves and it was pleasantly cool to the touch. When she took it he told her that it was magick and that, as long as she had it with her, she would be safe. It was a half-truth; the ring _was_ enchanted, but it was just something he used to keep cool on particularly hot summer days.

 

    His words had their intended effect of calming her and he asked, “What is your name, little one?”

 

    “Galatea.” - The girl replied.

 

    “Galatea; what a pretty name.” - Loki said, earning a small smile. He stood up, offered the girl his hand and said, “Why don’t you come with me, Galatea; I will take you out of these woods and away from the bad men.”

Galatea hesitated, but something about him just made her feel safe and after a moment she took his hand. Loki was true to his word and led her out of the woods and away from the people looking for her. And then he had disappeared.

 

 

    Loki hadn’t thought about Galatea in years. He wasn’t quite sure why he thought about her now, honestly, but strangely enough he couldn’t seem to stop. He never did find out what had happened to her after he’d left; helping her had just been an act of mercy he’d done on a whim, simply because leaving a child abandoned and crying didn’t sit well with him for reasons he didn’t really understand.

Regardless, he was thinking of her now. After several hours of unsuccessfully trying to put her from his mind, he got out of bed and went into the room in his hall where he kept all of his tools of magick. Setting a deep bowl made of quartz on his desk; he waved his hand over it and filled it with water. Gazing deep into the bowl he concentrated his thoughts, willing his inner sight to find the girl, the task made difficult by the fact that he had no idea what she looked like these days.

 

    Eventually, though, his efforts bore fruit and while the vision was blurry he knew he’d found her. He also sensed that she was in danger. Making a split-second decision Loki prepared himself for a journey and left his hall. He slipped out of the palace undetected and used one of his secret pathways to travel between the realms.

 

 

    Galatea had been running most of her life. Ever since she lost her father it had been a constant reality for her. Having to pack up and move on a moment’s notice was just a fact of life and as a result she never really got attached to anyplace or anyone. She didn’t let it get her down; choosing to see her rootless existence as an adventure most people only dream of. Of course, the ‘having people hell-bent on capturing her because of her abilities’ part was a bit of a downer, but them’s the breaks; as long as she stayed two steps ahead of them she was fine.

 

    Which is exactly what she was trying to do this time as she ran through dark streets away from the two thugs who had cornered her in an alley a ways back. Well, technically there were three of them, but the one still left behind in the alley currently bleeding to death didn’t really count.

 

    Her lungs were burning and her legs were about to give out but she didn’t stop; not until she turned a corner and ran straight into a very solid, lightly armoured chest. She stumbled back but before she fell a pair of hands reached out and grasped her upper arms. Still in ‘survival mode’, Galatea threw her hands out forward and used her powers to push the person away from her, earning a surprised grunt. Not waiting for him to recover, she went around him and continued to run before she heard him call out her name, and then she froze.

 

    She knew that voice.

 

    She turned around and her eyes widened in shocked recognition. Sure, his hair was longer and his clothes different, but his face was one she hadn’t forgotten and had dreamt about often over the years.

For Loki, the shock on his face was for the opposite reason. He had of course expected her to have grown in the eleven years he hadn’t seen her, but he had a bit of trouble reconciling the wisp of a girl who’d barely reached his waist with the full-figured beauty standing before him now.

 

    Hearing running footsteps approaching snapped them back to reality and Loki summoned his dagger as Galatea’s hand glowed with a silvery light. The two men reached them and Loki moved in a flash, stabbing one through the heart. The other one ran past him and straight for Galatea and she threw her hands forward, releasing two spikes of silver energy that stabbed him; one entering through his ribs while the other lodged in his throat.

Afterwards, Loki moved to stand in front of Galatea and they stared at each other for a moment, as though trying to come to terms with the fact that they were actually standing before the other.

 

    And then Galatea raised her hand and slapped him.


	2. Chapter 2

    For a moment Loki wasn’t sure what had just happened, and he stood there and blinked in confusion. Then he raised his hand and touched his cheek; she hadn’t really hurt him, but he certainly wasn’t expecting that. He looked back at Galatea and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could she slapped him again.

 

    The third time, he caught her wrist and said, “Enough!”

Galatea pulled her hand out of his grip then turned and walked off. Loki shook his head slightly in bemusement and followed her, his long strides catching up with her easily.

 

    The whole walk back to her apartment, she said nothing. When they walked in she walked straight to her bedroom, grabbed a bag and began packing a few essentials. And still she said nothing. After a few minutes more of that, Loki had enough and moved to stand in front of her, blocking her path.

 

    “Say something.” - He asked.

 

    Galatea stared up at him for a moment then said, “You lied to me.”

 

    “I... What?” - Loki asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

 

    “The ring.” - Galatea replied, lifting her left hand and showing him the ring he had given her all those years back, which she currently wore on her ring finger, “I found out what it really does. You lied to me.”

 

    “Ah. That...” - Loki said, remembering, “I was just trying to calm you. Frankly, I’m surprised you’ve kept it.”

 

    “Why wouldn’t I?” - Galatea asked.

 

    Loki shrugged and replied, “It’s just a trinket.”

 

    “No, it isn’t.” - She said with a shake of her head, “It’s proof.”

 

    “Proof of what?” - He asked.

 

    “That I didn’t just make you up to cope with losing dad, like everyone told me.” - She replied.

Loki felt a flash of guilt; he hadn’t really thought about that. It made sense, though. Nobody had seen him with her, after all; all they would have thought was that she was just a traumatised little girl who invented a guardian of sorts to deal with a terrible event.

 

    “I’m sorry.” - He said honestly.

 

    “Doesn’t matter.” - Galatea dismissed then walked around him to continue packing.

 

    “Where are you going?” - Loki asked, following after her.

 

    “Away.” - She replied simply.

 

    “Away?” - He asked, clearly annoyed by the vagueness.

 

    “Yes; away.” - She replied, stopping and turning around to face him, causing him to stop just short of colliding with her, “I’ve been found, so it’s time to move on.”

 

     “Move on to where?” - Loki asked.

 

    “I dunno.” - Galatea replied with a grin and a shrug, “I never know. That’s the beauty of it!”

 

    Loki looked at her dubiously and said, “I’m not certain ‘beauty’ is the word I would use...”

 

    “Ah, well; that’s _your_ perspective. I choose to look at the positives.” - She replied, “Sure, I’ve got people following me everywhere I go looking to do god-knows-what with me because of my powers, _but,_ I’ve gotten to travel and see the world.”

 

    “Well, I suppose that _is_ nice.” - Loki conceded then said, “But you are alone.”

 

   Galatea’s smile faltered a bit and she said, “Yeah, well, I never said it was perfect.”

 

    “I’m sorry; that was... I should not have said that.” - Loki quickly apologised.

 

    “It’s true, though.” - She replied with a humourless laugh.

 

    “It did not have to be. I saved your life and then I left. I could have stayed in touch, but I didn’t.” - Loki said, feeling guilt slowly creeping up on him the more he thought about the life he left her to.

 

    “No; you didn’t.” - She agreed then said, “But it’s pointless to think about that. What happened, happened. Best to keep moving forward.”

 

 

    Once Galatea had finished packing they left the apartment and boarded the first bus they came across. Loki had changed his clothes into casual midgardian attire and made a few alterations to his appearance with his seidr so as to not be recognised, though to Galatea he still looked the same. The bus left them at a train station and they boarded the one about to depart. Loki paid for it all, though he didn’t tell her just where he was getting money from.

As the train made its way to wherever it was going, they sat in a booth at the very back with Galatea - who had immediately claimed the window seat - looking out to the landscape passing them by. She looked at Loki out of the corner of her eye and smiled.

 

    “You’re doing it again.” - She said amusedly.

 

    Loki blinked and asked, “Doing what?”

 

    “Staring.” - Galatea replied, “You’ve been doing it since the bus.”

 

    “Well, I... It’s just...” - Loki began awkwardly then looked ahead of him and said, “You’ve grown.”

 

    “Yeah; that happens.” - Galatea laughed.

 

    “I knew it would happen, of course. I just didn’t expect...” - Loki said, now resolutely _not_ looking at her, “I didn’t expect _that_ much.”

 

    She placed her hand on his leg, causing him to tense, leaned towards him and said, “Loki; I’m an adult now. It’s perfectly fine to stare at my boobs.”

 

    Loki’s head snapped towards her and he stammered, “I was _not_... That wasn’t... I was _not staring._ ”

As he looked away again Galatea could swear he was blushing a little. She bit her lips together to keep from laughing; she knew she was being mean, but she felt he kinda deserved it. As much as she tried to play it off as nothing, she did resent him a little bit for leaving her; she used to dream he’d come back one day, and it was a pretty big disappointment when he didn’t.

 

    As an hour turned into two Galatea felt herself beginning to doze and before long she fell asleep, her head falling onto Loki’s shoulder. He gazed down at her and felt himself smile at how peaceful she looked. He brought his hand up and brushed her hair out of her face, his fingers lingering on her freckled cheek. She really was gorgeous; he’d had a feeling she would be, she was a very pretty girl when he met her, but he definitely didn’t expect this. Snapping out of his daze, he snatched his hand back quickly and looked ahead once more.

 

 

    Galatea had woken up just before they reached their destination and they had gotten off the train and found the nearest motel after a quick stop for food. As she showered, Loki sat on the bed staring at an old photograph; it showed a happy couple holding an infant between them. He had never seen Galatea’s parents; they were very attractive, he could see where she got it from.

He heard the bathroom door open and made the mistake of looking towards it, just in time to see her walking out wearing nothing but a towel that barely covered her. He sucked in a sharp breath and looked back at the picture in his hands, trying to ignore how she moved to stand next to him.

 

    “That’s the last thing dad ever gave me.” - She said, looking at the picture, “So I’d never forget what they looked like.”

She sat down next to him, exposing her thigh in the process, and Loki quickly stood and handed the picture to her.

 

    “I’m going to shower.” - He muttered and almost ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind him, leaving a slightly bewildered Galatea staring after him.

As the water sprayed over him, Loki deeply lamented the fact that the cold didn’t have much of an effect on him.

 

    By the time he left the bathroom she was curled up asleep on one of the beds (he had very firmly insisted on two beds), thankfully clothed, though the oversized t-shirt and the sleeping shorts didn’t seem like quite enough for his comfort. He walked over and pulled the covers up to her neck then walked to the other bed and lay down. After about twenty minutes of staring at the ceiling he finally fell asleep, though his mind seemed intent on torturing him with highly imaginative dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

    When Loki opened his green eyes the next morning it was to be met with big grey ones as Galatea had laid down on her side facing him. The size of the bed didn’t leave much space between them and he could feel the warmth radiating off of her, like she could no doubt feel the mostly lack of it that he gave off. Loki tried to move backwards without making it too obvious that he was trying to get away from her.

 

    “So; should or should I not point out that you talk in your sleep?” - Galatea asked with a slight smirk, closing the distance between them just as ‘subtly’.

 

    “Do I?” - Loki said with forced casualness.

 

    “I mean; there weren’t that many actual _words_ involved, but I got the gist of it.” - She replied coyly.

 

    Loki’s eye twitched slightly as he fought to keep a straight face, silently cursing his overactive imagination and his apparent inability to keep it to himself. Galatea moved forward again and leaned her face dangerously close to his, causing him to all but scramble off the bed. She giggled slightly then sat up, kneeling at the edge of the bed in front of him and biting her bottom lip in a poor attempt to suppress a smile.

 

    “We should not linger; it’s not safe.” - Loki said, moving over to the corner of the room where Galatea had dropped her bag and bringing it over to her.

 

    “Safe is pretty relative, I’ve found.” - She commented as she took her bag, letting her arm brush his and successfully suppressing another smirk as she noted how he seemed to shiver at the contact.

 

    “Indeed.” -He muttered, more to himself.

 

 

    The morning and early afternoon was spent riding in stranger’s cars. Loki prided himself on his silver tongue, but Galatea had a way of convincing people to help her without having to make an effort that left him feeling like he fell short; she had gotten them miles away from the motel with that charm alone. He consoled his ego by getting them food and they sat by a closed-down bridge to eat.

 

    “I’m sorry.” - Galatea said after a while.

 

    Loki paused with his drink halfway to his mouth, eyebrow raised, and asked, “For?”

 

    “This morning.” - She replied, “I feel like I took that a bit far.”

 

    Loki resumed his drinking then said dismissively, “It matters not.”

 

    “Well, I’m sorry anyway.” - Galatea replied, earning a slight huff of a laugh in response.

 

    They continued eating in silence then sat there for a while afterwards, enjoying the view the bridge offered; behind them was the road leading to civilisation in either direction, but before them stretched out a wide expanse of wildland and below them coursed a river. It was peaceful and Galatea happily let her mind forget she was on the run for a moment. Loki had a harder time forgetting his trouble, but he did manage to relax a bit.

 

    “Tell me of your power.” - Loki inquired after a while.

 

    “It’s bright.” - She replied jokingly. Loki was not impressed. She laughed at his expression then said, “I’m not really sure what to say! I manipulate light somehow; something like that. Dad told me it was a genetic anomaly; said mom got it from her dad, and I got it from her. He had similar powers, but he’s not sure where he got it from.”

 

    Loki mulled over her words for a moment then said, “I’ve heard of mortals born with abilities not normally associated with them for centuries, but they were usually not paid much mind; fleeting as their lives were, they were not thought to be a threat.”

 

    “Yes; I’m sure we’re so very insignificant.” - Galatea said wryly, rolling her eyes.

 

    “Well...” - Loki stopped himself when she raised an eyebrow, realising he was about to insult her, and instead said, “They had no way of travelling between the realms; rather limits whatever damage they could, intentionally or not, cause.”

 

    “Nice save.” - Galatea said with a snort then added, “For what it’s worth; I’ve heard a lot worse than ‘insignificant’.”

 

    “I do not doubt it.” - Loki replied, painfully aware of how most societies treated those who were different.

 

    “Can I ask you something?” - She asked. Loki nodded and she leaned against the bridge’s guardrail and asked, “Why did you help me when we first met?”

 

    Loki mimicked her pose and replied, “My birth father abandoned me to die when I was an infant. I supposed I sympathised with your plight, different though our circumstances were, even if I didn’t know it at the time.”

 

    “What d’you mean?” - She asked.

 

    “I only learned that I was adopted a few years ago.” - He replied, “But I’ve always known that feeling of hopelessness and fear in the back of my mind; I only could never explain it until then.”

 

    “Well, that sucks; no-one should have to feel that without knowing why.” - She said.

 

    “I would have rather not felt it at all.” - Loki said with a humourless laugh, “But I see what you mean; it certainly would have made the years I awoke from faint nightmares of frozen surroundings less confusing.”

 

    “Ugh; don’t talk to me about nightmares.” - Galatea huffed, “Those first two years were the worst. Had them almost every night.”

 

    “Almost?” - Loki asked.

 

    “I had a few good ones; mostly about dad, or...” - She trailed off, looking away.

 

    “Or...?” - Loki prompted after a moment.

 

    Galatea looked back at him and replied, “Or you.”

 

    “... Ah.” - Loki looked away, unsure what to say to that. After a little while he said, “I hadn’t realised I made that much of an impression.”

 

    “I was eight, I was scared, and you helped me; what’d you _think_ was gonna happen?” - She asked somewhat amusedly.

 

    “I didn’t really give it much thought, honestly; I assumed you would forget me once I was gone.” - He replied.

 

    “Like you forgot me?” - She asked. Loki looked down at his lap guiltily and she said, “I forgive you. Mostly.”

 

    Loki huffed a slight laugh then looked up at her and replied, “Fair enough.”

 

 

    They eventually found another motel late into the night, though the only room available only had one bed. Loki was hesitant to take it, not entirely trusting himself (or Galatea for that matter), but exhaustion won out and he reluctantly agreed after Galatea snapped at him that all she wanted was sleep and didn’t much care where she found it.

The next day they headed into town for food and supplies, intending to leave soon after, but then Galatea decided she wanted to do a little sight-seeing first instead. Loki wasn’t sure how good of an idea that was but went along with it; figuring if anyone did find her, he could keep her safe better that way. He felt like he owed her that much.

 

    After about an hour of meandering around, Galatea suddenly tensed almost imperceptively against Loki’s side and hissed, “Shit!”

 

    “What?” - Loki asked, looking down at her casually though internally he was instantly more alert than he had been.

 

    “Someone’s following us.” - She replied, looking up at him and smiling as though nothing was wrong.

 

    “I’m aware.” - Loki said, pulling her closer against him with the arm he had slung over her shoulders and brushing his lips over her temple, “He has been following us since the last store we left.”

 

    “I know, but I _know_ that guy.” - She replied, her tone somewhat venomous, “Bastard almost caught me once; I thought I killed him.”

 

    Loki tried not to be bothered by how casually she spoke of killing people. He had basically no qualms with the act himself, but he was not a very good person in all honesty. Galatea was barely an adult and it was clear to him she’d already had to kill several times, and would have to kill several more at least in order to stay alive. Once again he found himself feeling guilty over leaving her the way he did.

 

    “I take it he’s not a very nice person.” - Loki said sarcastically.

 

    “He tried to rape me.” - Galatea replied bitterly.

 

    At that Loki stopped short, took a deep breath then said with deathly calm, “Well then, why don’t we go greet him?”


End file.
